The More Things Change
by Anna-Morgause
Summary: Troy comes to Kelsi's rescue after a messy break up with Ryan, and takes her back home to Albuquerque for Christmas, so she can heal away from everyone and everything. Too bad the two playmakers aren't the only Wildcats coming home for the holidays


**The More Things Change **

By Anna-Morgause

Description: Troy comes to his playmaker's rescue after a messy break up with Ryan, and takes her back home to Albuquerque for Christmas, so she, they really, can heal away from everyone and everything. Too bad Kelsi and Troy aren't the only Wildcats coming home for the holidays.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. I wish I did, but I don't.

**Quote of the Day:** "Hoopsman, over here." – Kelsi Neilsen

**Chapter One: The Call**

"Kels..." Ryan started, remorse in his voice and eyes, despite the fact that he hadn't done anything. Yet.

The 23-year-old pianist bit her lip. Ryan was going to break up with her.

Kelsi had seen this coming a mile away, the signs were all there: the awkward silences, the arguments... The lies. She had steeled herself for this.

"...I think we need to see other people"

She breathed in sharply and her eyes would not cry in front of Ryan.

But,efforts didn't make it hurt any less.

Ryan looked away from the brunette, "We've been going through the motions, Kelsi, but there's nothing behind it anymore.." Kelsi want to scream that there was something behind it for her, but she was frozen.

Shock had taken over her body. It was like watching the saddest movie: your heart breaks, but there's nothing you can do to fix it but keep watching and hope it gets better.

Ryan sighed, "I'm leaving for LA tomorrow to help Shar with a project she's working on. I don't know how long I'll be gone, but it'll be a few months at the least. I think it'll be easier for everyone that way." Kelsi scoffed internally; how could anything make this easier?

The blonde dancer looked at Kelsi one last time before letting himself out of her apartment.

Kelsi had been able to hold in her tears, keep her dignity, while Ryan had been there, but no more. She collapsed into sobs. Her whole life for the last five years had just walked out the door. She sat there on the floor, leaning against the wall, crying for what seemed like forever. She tried stopping, but then she thought of Ryan and found fresh tears.

It wasn't until she felt the warmth of the sun leave her skin that she realized it was late evening, and that she had been crying for hours.

Kelsi stood up and finally got the will to get up and call the one person who knew her and understood her more than anyone else, more than even Ryan. Infinitely more than Ryan.

The phone rang for what felt like days to Kelsi, even though she knew rationally it had only been a matter of seconds. She heard a click from the phone, and breathed a sigh of relief. The brunette knew he would pick up, but she just felt like she couldn't take anymore rejection at all. When his strong, confident, playful voice said "Hey, playmaker." the smallest of smiles appeared on her face.

The small woman couldn't process all the emotions she was feeling, all the things she wanted and need to say. All she could to was murmur "Hey, Troy."

...

Kelsi couldn't believe Troy. Well, okay she could. Of all the people she could've called, Troy was certainly the only one who would've driven straight to the airport and buy a ticket to New York to comfort her in person. As she stood at the terminal in JFK, waiting to pick him up, she briefly wondered why she didn't call one of her slightly more local friends, aside from the fact that most of them were friends of Ryan's, but realized that this little stunt was exactly why Troy was the person she called. Troy always seemed to know what she needed.

Kelsi pushed back her glasses and debated whether or not she had enough time to go get a coffee when people started to come off the plane and appear at the gate. 'I guess not' she thought. Her blue eyes scanned the crowd of passengers, and other people waiting from them, looking for her friend. When Kelsi saw him, he hadn't seen her yet. She suddenly felt subconscious about what she was wearing, like her blue jeans and Julliard sweater weren't good enough to pick Troy up in, even though she knew that Troy probably would say she was ridiculous for thinking that. Kelsi tried to fix her hair, pushed down the butterflies that she had spent all of high school ignoring, and walked over to greet her best friend. Because that's what Troy was, her best friend. Just her best friend.

Then again,Ryan had kind of been that too at one point...

She shook that thought out of her head.

Troy, too, had been scanning the crowd saw the petite brunette and that smile that Kelsi loved so much, that just seeing it made her instantly feel better, appeared on his face. "Kels!" Troy dropped his bags and ran to, it almost seemed like at, Kelsi, hugging her, picking her up when he got to her.

"Troy!" his playmaker gasped, but even from just hearing that, Troy knew she was smiling as she said it, "Ohmigod, Troy! Put me down!"

The much taller man put his small friend, whose legs had been dangling above the ground down and laughed. "Sorry, Kelsi," he said, even though he wasn't a bit sorry, "I just missed you."

"I missed you, too, but I didn't go running up to you like a child and pick you up!" she said, even though she wasn't a bit angry.

"Pshhh," Troy said, as they walked back over to his bags, "First off you wouldn't be able to pick me up and second...You're just upset 'cuz you didn't think of it." Kelsi shook her head and smiled. She was thankful for Troy's playfulness, for his not mentioning why he was there, and most of all, for the fact that he was there.

"So, where are we going from here?" Troy asked, picking up his bags.

"My apartment." There was no way she was going to make Troy pay for a hotel after he came all the way to New York. "And since I figure you're probably tired from the flight you can just crash-"

"No way, Kelsi." Troy said sternly.

"What's wrong." Kelsi asked, suddenly worried. Did she say something wrong? Was Troy going to leave her, too?

"I didn't come all the way to New York to _sleep_," he said, the stern voice gone, replaced with the familiar happy one, "That's what the five hour plane flight was for!"

Kelsi shook her head. She wasn't sure if she wanted to strangle Troy or hug him. "Fine, we'll just drop your stuff off at my apartment, and then I'll show you around."

Troy smiled. "That's more like it."

They walked out of the airport and Kelsi realized that letting Troy just sleep probably wouldn't be the best for her. It would give her too much time alone with her thoughts. Her blue eyes watched Troy as she wondered if it was intentional, if it was Troy's plan to keep her busy her, so she couldn't dwell. As Kelsi directed Troy to the subway they would be taking to her apartment, she thought it probably was his plan. She needed to be distracted and Troy always knew what she needed.

**A/N:** I wrote most of the beginning part in September, but after rereading some Troy/Kelsi fics, I finished off the first chapter. I hope it's not too bad.

**PS:** Thank to Night Owl 303 for beta reading and being infinitly epic

**PPS:** I know that Troy just flew out to New York, and it seems like the description isn't exactly accurate, but trust me, there will be a Wildcat Christmas on New Mexico, yet.


End file.
